I like talking about the effects of different ingredients on the flavour and aroma of beer. Most people are so used to pale lagers that introducing them to some kind of unusual or different ingredient can be quite the eye opener. On that topic, for my CBC column last Friday, I started a series on wheat in beer. I know wheat is not “unusual” per se, but it is a fairly rare ingredient in the beer world (just walk through Sherbrooke’s cooler and count how many have wheat in them and you will see my point).
Lately (hell, since always) the good folks at CBC have been a bit spotty on posting a sound file of my column on their website. Well, this last column went up yesterday, giving me a chance to make it a topic for onbeer.org. (You can find it here.)
It is a straight-up educational piece. I talk a bit about the history of wheat in beer, in particular why it fell out of favour (a combination of politics and technical issues), the different types of wheat beer and then what wheat does for beer. To drive the point home, we sample some Wild Rose Velvet Fog, which I believe is a good beer for isolating the effects of wheat in beer without yeast getting in the way. I also give a quick shout out to Chad for his effort at making a beer with 100% wheat (which I talked about here)
The next two columns will look more closely at different styles of wheat beer. German hefeweizens is likely to be next week, and then probably witbier, but maybe weizenbock. I don’t think I will go to lambics or Berliner Weisse at this time. I did Lambic a couple years ago, and we are yet to get a commercial Berliner Weisse in these parts.
That all said, I believe wheat is an under-appreciated ingredient. It is subtle and far too often is held guilty by association with boring beer with fruit syrup added. But it is a nice canvas upon which to build a beer that accents a gentle touch. You can’t go crazy with any quality when using wheat. Big hops? Nope. Honking big malt? Nah! Wheat beer are about modesty. And that is part of what makes them enjoyable.
March 9, 2012 at 8:18 PM
Okay I bite who’s Berliner Weiss?
March 10, 2012 at 10:55 AM
Okay, I bite too… if you mean “who’s”, then the answer is: no one. A Berliner Weisse is a style, not a person.
If however you mean “whose”, then the entry quite clearly states that our market does not currently have a Berliner Weiss, in which case the answer would be: no one’s.
Though I have heard that there was recently some remaining DFH in the lower areas of the province, so perhaps there is still some Festina Peche floating around somewhere…
March 10, 2012 at 5:00 PM
My suspicion is that Hoser is asking which Berliner we would like to see in Alberta. Good question, that.
I remember having a Berliner Kindl Weisse years ago in Berlin that as superb. Quite frankly I would accept any of the traditional breweries (but good luck on that…).
Jason
March 10, 2012 at 8:23 PM
There might be one coming this summer, but it will be only maybe on draft and it won’t be from Germany. It will be a very limited release and although I haven’t got the wholesale price yet I am guessing expensive.
Thank you Toph, I meant which brewery and beer is brewed by people so who’s is correct but was full of Friday sales calls beers and the article didn’t really compute at the time. Kindl is the only Germany bottled example that exists now, yes one of the most amazing 3% beers I have ever had.
March 11, 2012 at 10:02 AM
A friend & I both quite enjoyed a bottle of Half Pints’ Demeters Harvest, the base of which is malted wheat, barley & wildflower honey. A very nice twist on the Barleywine style & I think reflective of the Canadian/Prairie harvest.
March 12, 2012 at 7:32 AM
Anybody know if there is a Kristallweizen available in North America?
March 12, 2012 at 4:20 PM
I am sure that either Jim at the Sherbrook has it or Laylo at the Keg and Cork…Sly
March 14, 2012 at 7:14 AM
Brands? I am not aware of any being either brewed in, or imported to, Canada at this time.